Teething device

Abstract

A teething product is shown, the teething product comprising: a body made from an elastomeric material, the body shaped so that it is compressible and twistable; wherein the body comprises a relatively rigid upper and lower portion, and there-between comprises a deformable portion to allow compression and twisting in use.

Description

[0001] TEETHING DEVICE

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a teething device, the teething device being configured to allow compression and twisting when in use. The teething device is further configured to elastically decompress and / or untwist to return its original shape.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] Teethers are a known solution when a young child is teething for pain cessation / mitigation. During teething a child will normally experience discomfort and / or pain in their gums. In addition to being a pain cessation product, teethers can assist young children in developing sensory, cognitive and / or motor skills with at least their mouth, hands or fingers.

[0006] Some known teethers are simply toys which are only designed to contribute to the development of the child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills. Some other known teethers are functional only providing a surface on which to chew with limited contribution to the child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skill development. Some other known teethers have only a single type of oral, cognitive or sensory and / or motor skills development functionality, as for example, they will only provide one texture or one area to chew, which is limited in the degree to which it may cater for all teething stages or assist in the development of the child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills. Known teethers do not provide a large degree of variety of ways to develop a child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills.

[0007] Consequently, there is a need for a teether designed to target different areas of the mouth and cater to various teething stages, which assists in the development of the child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills. Furthermore, there is a need for a teether which contributes to oral care, and in particular to gum cleaning and early tooth care.

[0008] Objects and aspects of the present claimed invention seek to alleviate at least these problems with the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a teething device, comprising: a body made from an elastomeric material, the body shaped so that it is compressible and twistable; wherein the body comprises a relatively rigid upper and lower portion, and therebetween comprises a deformable portion to allow compression and twisting in use.

[0010] Advantageously, this provides a teething product which assists in the reduction or prevention of teething pain and which contributes to the development of the child’s cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills.

[0011] In an embodiment, the deformable portion comprises a plurality of connecting portions of elastomeric material extending between the upper and lower portions, and a cavity extending between the upper and lower portions.

[0012] In an embodiment, when in use, the connecting portions support the weight of the upper portion without compressing, and when exposed to a first external force between the upper and lower portions the connecting portions deform, at least in part, out of the cavity extending between the upper and lower portions to allow compression.

[0013] In an embodiment, when the first external force between the upper and lower portions ceases, the connecting portions are configured to elastically decompress to return their original shape. Advantageously, this results in decompression and a lift effect of the entire device, contributing to the effect of adding to the element of play and mental and / or physical stimulation that a user (i.e. a child) will experience when using the teething product.

[0014] In an embodiment, the first external force is from a biting force or a handheld force.

[0015] In an embodiment, when in use, the connecting portions support the weight of the upper portion without twisting, and when exposed to a second external force perpendicular to an axis between the upper and lower portions cause the connecting portions to deform into the cavity extending between the upper and lower portions to allow twisting.

[0016] In an embodiment, when the second external force ceases, the connecting portions are configured to elastically untwist to return to their original shape. Advantageously, this results in the teether returning to its original shape by untwisting, adding to the element of play and mental and / or physical stimulation that a user (i.e. a child) will experience when using the teething product.

[0017] In an embodiment, the plurality of connection portions comprises three connecting portions. In an embodiment, the second external force is from a biting force or a handheld force.

[0018] In an embodiment, the upper portion and / or the lower portion further comprise one or more surface features, the surface features comprising one or more of indentations of the elastomeric material, one or more raised bumps on the elastomeric material, one or more protrusions from the elastomeric material, or surface features of a texture different from the rest of the elastomeric material.. Advantageously, this provides one or more surface features for a child to explore when teething which contributes to the development of the child’s cognitive, sensory, oral and / or motor skills in addition to supporting different stages of teething and early gum and toothcare.

[0019] In an embodiment, the elastomeric material comprises silicone.

[0020] In an embodiment, the silicone is food grade silicone.

[0021] In an embodiment, the distance between the upper and lower portion is 4.5cm when no first external force is applied.

[0022] In an embodiment, the distance between the upper and lower portion is compressible up to 1 ,5cm when the first external force is applied.

[0023] In an embodiment, twisting comprises a rotation of the upper portion of the body relative to the lower portion of the body.

[0024] In an embodiment, the upper portion of the body is rotatable in both directions.

[0025] In an embodiment, the upper portion of the body is rotatable up to 180° relative to the lower portion of the body.

[0026] Detailed Description of the Drawings

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1A depicts a non-twisted teething product when fully compressed in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0029] Figure 1 B depicts a non-twisted teething product in a state of partial compression in accordance with the first aspect of the invention; Figure 1C depicts a non-twisted teething product in a state of partial compression, less compressed than is depicted in Figure 1 B, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0030] Figure 1 D depicts a non-twisted teething product when not compressed in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0031] Figure 2A depicts a teething product when twisted 90° to the right relative to a normal orientation (as shown in Figures 1A to 1 D), in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0032] Figure 2B depicts a teething product when twisted 180° to the right relative to a normal orientation (as shown in Figures 1A to 1 D), in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0033] Figure 2C depicts a teething product when twisted 90° to the left relative to a normal orientation (as shown in Figures 1A to 1 D), in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0034] Figure 2D depicts a teething product when twisted 180° to the left relative to a normal orientation (as shown in Figures 1A to 1 D), in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

[0035] With reference to Figure 1A, there is depicted a teething product 100 when fully compressed, the teething product 100 of Figure 1A having an external force being applied to it which is sufficient to fully compress the teething product 100. The teething product 100 comprises a body 110, the body 110 made from an elastomeric material. The body 110 is shaped so that it is compressible and twistable. The body 110 comprises a relatively rigid upper portion 120 and a relatively rigid lower portion 130. Between the upper portion 120 and the lower portion 130 there is comprised a deformable portion 140 to allow compression (shown in Figures 1A to 1 D) and twisting (shown in Figures 2A to 2D) when in use (i.e. when an external force is applied to the body 110, sufficient to cause compression and / or twisting of the deformable portion 140). It would be understood by a person skilled in the art that the relatively rigid upper 120 and lower 130 portions are rigid relative to the deformable portion 140.

[0036] Figure 1A further depicts that the deformable portion 140 comprises connecting portions 142, 144, 146 (Figures 1 A to 1 D depict three connecting portions) of elastomeric material extending between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions. The connecting portions 142, 144, 146 support the weight of the upper portion 120 without compressing when no external force, other than gravity, is present. Furthermore, between the connecting portions there is a cavity 150, the cavity 150 occupying part of the space between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions. In Figure 1A, there is depicted that the teething product 100 is exposed to a first external force sufficient to cause the product 100 to fully compress. When the connecting portions are exposed to a first external force between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions, the connecting portions are configured to deform, at least in part, out of the cavity extending between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions, to allow compression.

[0037] The teething product 100 is shaped in the form of a child’s toy, and in particular as a bunny. This has the effect of being engaging and visually appealing for a child, where it is known that they are attracted to facial expressions, thus further contributing to the child’s curiosity to play with the teething product 100.

[0038] The upper portion 120 comprises several surface features 160. The surface features 160 comprising many raised bumps (or protrusions) on the elastomeric material (as seen on the ears of the bunny character depicted in Figures 1A to 1 D). These surface features 160 each produce a unique texture, each further contributing to the effect of assisting young children in developing cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills with at least their mouth, hands or fingers. In addition, other aspect of the shape of the teething product 100 may contribute to the sensations a child experiences when interacting with the teething product 100, for example, the ears also produce a unique feeling when a child places these in their mouths.

[0039] The lower portion 130 also comprises surface features 160. In particular, Figures 1A to 1 D depict that the lower portion 1340 comprises feet with bumpy surface features (i.e. around the toes or soles of the feet of the bunny character).

[0040] It can be seen that by having an engaging toy which is suitable for a child to place in their mouth, and which includes a variety of surfaces features, and which can be compressed and / or twisted, this would advantageously contribute to the effect of assisting young children in developing cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills with at least their mouth, hands or fingers. This effect is achieved by providing a plurality of features which develop the cognitive, sensory and / or motor skills. Furthermore, this further encourages play and interaction with a care giver (e.g. a parent), thus further contributing to a child’s cognitive development. Furthermore, the surface features 160 support the different stages of teething and early gum and toothcare. With reference to Figure 1 B, there is depicted a teething product 100, the teething product 100 of Figure 1 B having an external force applied to it which is sufficient to cause partial compression. The teething product 100 of Figure 1 B is the same as that of Figure 1A, but it is being exposed to a smaller first external force between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions, leading to only a partial compression. Figure 1C similarly shows a teething product 100 which is being exposed to even less of the first external force that the product 100 of Figure 1 B, causing even less compression. The teething product 100 of Figure 1C is the same as that of Figures 1 A and 1 B.

[0041] With reference to Figure 1D, there is depicted a teething product 100 which is uncompressed as it is being exposed to no first external force between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions. The teething product 100 of Figure 1 D is the same as that of Figure 1A to 1C.

[0042] With reference to Figures 2A to 2D, there is depicted a teething product 200. The teething product 200 is the same as that of teething product 100, but is shown twisted when exposed to a second external force perpendicular to an axis between the upper 220 and lower 230 portions. Figure 2A depicts the teething product 200 twisted 90° to the right. Figure 2B depicts the teething product 200 twisted 180° to the right. Figure 2C depicts the teething product 200 twisted 90° to the left; and Figure 2D depicts the teething product 200 twisted 180° to the left. It can be seen from Figures 2A to 2D that when exposed to a second external force perpendicular to an axis between the upper 220 and lower 230 portions sufficient to cause twisting, the connecting portions deform into the cavity to allow twisting.

[0043] It will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention are given by way of example only, and that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0044] For example, in use the elastomeric material of any of Figures 1 A to 1 D and 2A to 2D may comprise an elastic material with low young’s modulus. The elastomeric material may be able to elastically deform in response to an external force (e.g. the first and / or second external force in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention), and return to its original shape when the force stops. The relatively rigid upper portion 120 and lower portion 130 may be rigid relative to the deformable portion 140. In practice, the upper portion and / lower portion may be deformable in use, so that, for example, when a child is biting (or employing hand generated force (i.e. a handheld force)) either of these portions they will deform. The child would therefore feel the deformed portion(s) as a result of their application of their biting (or any external force they might apply). The upper portion 120 and lower portion 130 may be rigid as a result of their shapes and configuration relative to the shape and configuration of the deformable portion 140, so that for a same external force, the deformable portion 140 will deform (i.e. change shape) to a greater extent than the upper 120 and lower 130 portions. In an alternative embodiment, the upper 120 and lower 130 portions may be more rigid than the deformable portion 140 as a result of being made of a different material (e.g. a silicone with a higher young’s modulus than the silicone the deformable portion 140 is made from).

[0045] In use, the deformable portion 140 of Figures 1A to 1 D and to 2A to 2D may comprise a plurality of connecting portions of elastomeric material extending between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions, and a cavity 150 extending between the upper 120 and lower 130 portions. The connecting portions may be sufficiently rigid so as to support the weight of the upper portion without compressing. For example, it can be seen from at least Figure 1 D that when no external force is applied to the teething product that the connecting portions are rigid enough to support the weight of the upper portion (when the teething product is placed with the lower portion on a stable surface).

[0046] In use, when a first external force is applied to the teething product 100, the product 100 may compress a certain distance proportionate to the magnitude of the first external force. When the first external force is released (i.e. the compression ceases) the product 100 may return to its uncompressed shape as shown in Figure 1 D. In other words, when the compression is released the teething product 100 may bounce back. This may be due to the elastic forces exerted by the elastomeric material. In use, the bounce-back / decompression of the teether may be fast and may result in a surprising bounce-like motion being observed from the child’s perspective. In other words, removal of the external force results in an opposite force resulting in decompression and a lift effect of the entire device (i.e. a bounce). Advantageously, this has the effect of adding to the element of play and mental and / or physical stimulation that a user (i.e. a child) will experience when using the teething product 100.

[0047] In an embodiment there may be three connecting portions. In a further embodiment, there may be any number of connecting portions (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, , n, etc.). It may be the case that by increasing the number of connecting portions, the strength of the deformable portion 140 increases, thus requiring a greater external force to allow compression and / or twisting.

[0048] In use, the distance, when no external force is applied, between the upper 120 and lower

[0049] 130 portions in Figure 1 D may be 4.5cm. However, it may be greater than or less than 4.5cm. Furthermore, the distance, when a maximum external force is applied between the upper and lower portions may be 1.5cm (i.e. it may be compressible up to 1.5cm), or it may be compressible more or less than 1.5cm, depending on the requirements of the teething product 100.

[0050] The surface features 160 may also comprise one or more of indentations of the elastomeric material, one or more raised bumps on the elastomeric material, one or more protrusions from the elastomeric material, or surface features of a texture different from the rest of the elastomeric material.

[0051] The elastomeric material of the body 110 may be comprised of silicone. In a further preferred embodiment, the silicone may be food-grade silicone. Food-grade silicone may be any silicone suitable for a child to put in their mouth. In addition, food-grade silicone may be a silicone of high quality which a child may ingest (even if accidentally) without causing undue health concerns.

[0052] In use, the first external force and / or the second external force may be from a biting force. For example, a child may bite the teething product to product a first, second and / or any mix of the first or second external forces by biting the teething product 100. In an alternative embodiment, the first external force and / or the second external force may be from a handheld force. It will be understood that although Figures 1A-1 D depict only a first external force being applied (or not), and Figures 2A-2D depict only a second external force being applied (or not), that in use a mixture of the first external force and the second external force may be applied to the teething product 100.

[0053] In Figures 2B and 2D, it is shown that the teething product 200 is twisted 180° relative to the normal position (i.e. it is normal when no second external force is applied). In another embodiment, the teething product 200 may be twistable more than 180°, or it may be twistable less than 180°. When no second external force is applied to the teething product 200, the teething product 200 may return to its original position / orientation (as depicted in Figures 1 A to 1 D), where the front face of the teething product 200 is faced in the same direction as the feet of the teething product 200.

[0054] In use, when a second external force is applied to the teething product 100, the product 100 may twist a certain degree of rotation proportionate to the magnitude of the second external force. When the second external force is released (i.e. the twisting ceases) the product 100 may return to its untwisted shape, as shown in Figure 1 D. In other words, when the twisting is released the teething product 100 may twist back. This may be due to the elastic forces exerted by the elastomeric material. Advantageously, this has the effect of adding to the element of play and mental and / or physical stimulation that a user (i.e. a child) will experience when using the teething product 100.

[0055] It will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention are given by way of example only, and that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A teething device, comprising: a body made from an elastomeric material, the body shaped so that it is compressible and twistable; wherein the body comprises a relatively rigid upper and lower portion, and there-between comprises a deformable portion to allow compression and twisting in use.

2. The teething device of claim 1, wherein the deformable portion comprises a plurality of connecting portions of elastomeric material extending between the upper and lower portions, and a cavity extending between the upper and lower portions.

3. The teething device of claim 2, wherein, in use, the connecting portions support the weight of the upper portion without compressing, and when exposed to a first external force between the upper and lower portions the connecting portions deform, at least in part, out of the cavity extending between the upper and lower portions to allow compression.

4. The teething device of claim 3, wherein when the first external force between the upper and lower portions ceases, the connecting portions are configured to elastically decompress to return their original shape.

5. The teething device of claims 3 or 4, wherein the first external force is from a biting force or a handheld force.

6. The teething device of claim 2, wherein, in use, the connecting portions support the weight of the upper portion without twisting, and when exposed to a second external force perpendicular to an axis between the upper and lower portions cause the connecting portions to deform into the cavity extending between the upper and lower portions to allow twisting.

7. The teething device of claim 6, wherein when the second external force ceases, the connecting portions are configured to elastically untwist to return to their original shape.

8. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of connection portions comprises three connecting portions.

9. The teething device of claim 6, wherein the second external force is from a biting force or a handheld force.

10. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein the upper portion and / or the lower portion further comprise one or more surface features, the surface features comprising one or more of indentations of the elastomeric material, one or more raised bumps on the elastomeric material, one or more protrusions from the elastomeric material, or surface features of a texture different from the rest of the elastomeric material.

11. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein the elastomeric material comprises silicone.

12. The teething device of claim 11 , wherein the silicone is food grade silicone.

13. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein the distance between the upper and lower portion is 4.5cm when no first external force is applied.

14. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein the distance between the upper and lower portion is compressible up to 1.5cm when the first external force is applied.

15. The teething device of any preceding claim, wherein twisting comprises a rotation of the upper portion of the body relative to the lower portion of the body.

16. The teething device of claim 15, wherein the upper portion of the body is rotatable in both directions.

17. The teething device of claims 15 or 16, wherein the upper portion of the body is rotatable up to 180° relative to the lower portion of the body.

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